1 C ollect your thoughts, yes, unbend yourselves, O shameless nation!

Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;

2 T herefore consider, before God’s decree brings forth, before the time is gone like the drifting chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you—yes, before the day of the wrath of the Lord comes upon you!

before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you.

3 S eek the Lord, all you humble of the land who have acted in compliance with His revealed will and have kept His commandments; seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.

Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.

4 F or Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; the people of Ashdod shall be driven out at noonday and Ekron shall be uprooted.

For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

5 W oe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.

Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.

6 A nd the seacoast shall be pastures, with dwelling places and caves for shepherds and folds for flocks.

And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks.

7 T he seacoast shall belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall pasture their flocks upon it; in the houses of Ashkelon shall they of Judah lie down in the evening. For the Lord their God shall visit them and restore them from their captivity.

And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.

8 I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites by which they have reproached My people, and magnified themselves and made boasts against their territory.

I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.

9 T herefore, as I live, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and wild vetches and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people shall make a prey of them and what is left of My nation shall possess them.

Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.

10 T his shall they have for their pride, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.

This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts.

11 T he Lord will be terrible to them, for He will make lean and famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship Him, every one from his place, even all the isles and coastlands of the nations.

The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.

12 Y ou Ethiopians also, you shall be slain by My sword.

Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.

13 A nd will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria and will make Nineveh a desolation, dry as the desert.

And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.

14 H erds shall lie down in the midst of, all the beasts of the nations and of every kind; both the pelican and the hedgehog shall lodge on the upper part of her pillars; the voice shall sing in the windows; desolation and drought shall be on the thresholds, for her cedar paneling will He lay bare.

And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work.

15 T his is the joyous and exultant city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am and there is none beside me. What a desolation she has become, a lair for beasts! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss and wave his hand.

This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.